Eris
by FallenStar90
Summary: Lex Luthor tries to cover his tracks after he brutally murders his father. Now he wants to eliminate Clark as well. Clark and Chloe are on the case, but Clark is a bit distracted by his new love interest.Clois.Chapter 17 up! GONE!
1. The End

**HOLA PEOPLE!**

**This is my 1st fic, and as of now I have it all planned out up to the middle...Review if ya like, review more if ya don't (i feel that flames are character building)...ENJOY!**

Title: Eris (godess of discord BTW)

Rating: PG-13

Disclamer:I own a lot of things;this story is one of them...however the charactersare simply on loan...don't like it? Take it up with DC Comics...

Summary: Read n' see

**A/N: This may be a long one, folks!**

**Chapter 1: The End**

The man walked through the blackened hallway, sputtering and choking on the smoke that permeated the hall. Two charred bodies lay in front of him, and his clothes were torn into rags, but all he could see was the door, a portal through which his life would be forever altered. He briskly maneuvered over the wreckage toward the door, a cool wind rustling the ashes and drying the sweat on his forehead. He placed his hand on the lock and inserted a key, but then hesitated, and looked back at his handiwork. He realized that he was almost unstoppable, that the entire world could be within his grasp if he so wished. There were only a few obstacles that he would need to "take care of."

He turned the knob and jerked the door open. The room had an uninviting air about it. It was a harsh blue, and hot from the flames that had erupted outside. The man stepped toward the desk, and discovered his target, the one person who had controlled his life, made him a rock, a force to be reckoned with, possibly a madman. The man chuckled at this thought. He stooped by the desk and saw his target huddled under it, clutching his chest and shaking. _Look at him, acting like a scared child_, though the man. _He deserves to die, and who better than me to finish him?_

"Goodbye, father." And with these final thoughts, Lex Luthor pulled his trigger.


	2. Headlines and Headlights!

* * *

**Chapter 2: Headlines and Headlights!

* * *

**

**LIONEL LUTHOR DEAD AT 64**

**Metropolis, KS**

**Businessman and billionaire Lionel Luthor was found dead last night amidst the wreckage of LuthorCorp Tower, which was shaken by an explosion at approximately 1:35 AM. The cause of the explosion has been determined as arson, but so far there are no suspects. Lionel Luthor was also found with fatal bullet wounds to his chest and head, which sources say were the cause of his death. Two security guards were also killed in the explosion. In a statement today, Lex Luthor, son of the late Lionel Luthor and heir to the LuthorCorp empire, was reported as saying...**

"Wow, who would have thought that somebody would try and blow up Luthorcorp tower like that, and manage to kill Lionel Luthor, nonetheless. I mean, didn't that man have bodyguards all over the building?" said Jonathan Kent, who was seated at the dining room table with a coffee mug in one hand and a coffee mug in the other.

"Yea, but the explosion probably distracted them or scared them off." Martha Kent replied. "You know, I can't help but feel kind of sorry for the man. Nobody deserves to die like that, not even a Luthor."

" Give me a break, that man is Satan incarnate! He's killed more people than you can even count, and do you guys _not _rememberwhat he did to Chloe, not to mention just about every family in Smallville! Personally, I'd like to meet the guy who finally killed that bastard, and thank him for a job well done!" Lois Lane piped from the kitchen. She had managed to get up before sunrise, a miracle in itself, and had also succeeded in helping Martha with breakfast. She was wearing a dress and heels, as she was heading off to a interview at Met. U, _again_, and was going to plead her case as to why she should be re-admitted to the school. Lois wasn't particularly _happy_ about returning to college, but she was bored staying at home while everybody else was at school. That, and she realized that she couldn't live on tips from the Talon her whole life.

Clark Kent finally stirred from his bed and made his way downstairs. He seemed to have a 6th sense for knowing exactly when breakfast was being served. Eyes still closed, Clark made his way down the stairs, and practically collapsed into a chair at the table.

"Rough night, son?" Jonathan inquired. His son was usually up with the sun, but this morning he had slept until noon.

"Horrible. Lana officially hates me, and all I could think about all night was our date. She just started getting angry over the weirdest things, and she almost took the waiter's head off when he brought her the wrong meal! And, when I told her to chill out a little, she walked out on me! I just don't know what her problem is lately!" Clark declared.

"I swear, that girl is eternally PMSing" Lois said as she brought Clark his pancakes and eggs. Suddenly Clark found himself dumbstruck. _Oh my god, Lois, in a dress? Wow...wait a sec, what the hell am I thinking. Snap out of it Kent, you love Lana. Remember Lana? The girl that you've loved since 1st grade! The girl that...wow, I don't think I've ever seen Lois look like such a GIRL before. Ok ok ok, just calm down and forget it...worry about you and Lana before you start looking at other girls...but Lois isn't a girl...she's a woman..._

This mental battle raged in Clark's head for several minutes. All the while, he wore a look similar to that of a deer caught staring at the headlights of an oncoming truck. But for Clark, Lois was the truck and he was just FASCINATED by her, uh, 'headlights.' Lois wasn't stupid, she saw right through the boy's gaze. _Must be the dress, _she thought. _Poor kid. _So she set down breakfast on the table and simply whispered to Clark, "Down, boy."

"Well, I guess I'd better get going! It would kind of be _bad_ to show up late to an interview that'll consist mostly of begging for mercy." Lois laughed as she put on a suit jacket and exited the house.

"Clark..." started Martha. "CLARK! SNAP OUT OF IT!"

Clark shook awake and looked at his parents. "Are you ok, son? You seem out of it this morning. Is this all about Lana? Because you know that she shouldn't be making you miserable, even if she has been in a bad mood." Jonathan commented.

True, the source of Clark's problems was indeed Lana, but he hadn't told them everything, considering that they had heard the same story almost every day since Clark had met Lana...she was angry at him because he wouldn't open up to her. But Clark wasn't depressed this time...he was ticked. It took all his will power to stop himself from yelling, 'Ya know, at first I didn't tell you because was I didn't think your puny little human mind could handle it, but now I don't want to tell you because you're being such a little bitch about it!' Ok, he knew that wouldn't be too nice, but she had him at the end of his rope. "I know guys, I just...she's just been annoying lately."

"You should go settle this with Lana. If you're losing sleep over her, you definitely need to smooth some things out, for both of your sakes."

"I guess so. I'm gonna go see her." Clark sighed as he left the room.

* * *

"In other news, the death of Lionel Luthor has rattled the business world, as Luthorcorp stocks continue to plummet. Will billionaire Lex Luthor be able to turn LuthorCorp around? Find out tonight at 11:00." The news announcer commented. Lex Luthor was sitting in his bedroom, flipping through the news channels which all had something different to say about the assassination. And all the while, Lex laughed. He laughed harder than he ever laughed before, because he realized that he could do anything! The world was within his grasp!

The first operation, on a whole, had gone smoothly. Lionel was now out of the picture, and Lex was the head of a global empire. He wasn't in the least concerned with the police investigation, because a few calls and a check could stop the investigation in its tracks _But the assassination was a little sloppy for my taste...maybe I should be more subtle next time. At least it got the job done. Who's next on the agenda?...the infamous CLARK KENT. Clark...he always seems to be there to save people in trouble...if I can manage to get him out of the way, I'm in the clear, because I know that Clark isn't just your typical all-American farm boy...No, something about him is much more special, more dangerous...and I want to be the one to destroy him._


	3. If I loved you

YAY UPDATES! 

Chapter 3 is a'coming! After suffering through painfully boring family parties and an unfortunate, though brief, case of writer's block, "Eris" is back just in time for the new year!

--Special thanks toMadDogLane and ImKindaOffBalance for the reviews

MadDogLane: LOL about Lana, and Clois will come in time

**FAIR WARNING!- Zero action in this chapter...again**

**FAIR WARNING 2!- This is a Lex-less, Lois-less chapter. Actually, the only characters in this chapter are Clark, Lana, and Chloe**

OK! Sit back and enjoy the show!

* * *

**Chapter 3: If I Loved You **(For the B'Way Fans out there, yes that is a song from Carousel, and again, I own it not)

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Clark Kent was usually very good at hiding his nerves. On the outside he appeared calm, cool, and collected, but on the inside, he felt like he was about to burst and run home as fast as he possibly could. Stepping into the Talon, he tried to gather his composure. _OK, break it to her gently . . . 'Lana, I know that we've had our differences, but . . . ' God that sucks. OK I'll just wing it . . . Here she comes. _"Hey Lana."

Lana ignored Clark, trying her best to get away from him by retreating behind the counter, pretending to count the money in the register.

_Oh God, she's still angry today . . . Why the hell is she angry! She has no idea what telling her the truth would lead to! She makes me so MAD sometimes . . . Keep it cool- don't get angry, the last thing you want to do is start shooting flames all over the Talon . . . although one ray strategically aimed at her head would . . . OK stop it, Kent, that's not nice . . . but it would sure solve my Lana problems. _"Um Lana . . . I think we need to talk about some things . . . uh, alone preferably. When is your shift over?"

"Oh, right now, actually. What is it you wanted to talk about?" said Lana. She took off her apron and led Clark upstairs to the spare apartment.

"Lana, I've been thinking about our relationship and-"

"Yea, me too, Clark, and I'm gonna reaffirm what I said last night. If you love me as much as you say you do, why do you have such a hard time opening up to me?" Lana interrupted.

_Why does she have to make this so friggin hard?_ "Lana, you don't understand. This is much more complicated than you're making it out to be. I want you to lay off a little-"

"Do you love me, Clark?"

_Do I love her? Do I LOVE HER?_ The question echoed over and over again in Clark's mind. He expected to take one look into Lana's sparkling brown eyes and, once again, fall victim to her charm, tell Lana how much he cared for her, tell her everything. But that day, Clark looked into her eyes, and saw no playful glimmer, felt no butterflies in his stomach, and sensed no feeling of attraction. He simply saw Lana, _truly_ saw her for the first time, with all her faults, and felt only Lana's stare and expectation for an answer.

"I...I don't" said Clark. Lana stood there dumbfounded. The same boy she thought she had wrapped around her finger had just _dumped_ her! She huffed and puffed in anger and shock.

"Goodbye, Lana," said Clark, barely audibly, as he turned his back on Lana Lang forever.

* * *

Chloe Sullivan was smart. Not book smart, or "valedictorian" smart, but the kind of smart where she was able to observe everything around her, and separate fiction from fact from possible headlines for her next story. This lovely little talent is what made Chloe an ace reporter. She knew bull$hit when she saw it, and right now, the murder of Lionel Luthor was screaming "investigate me!" at the top of its lungs. _Now hold on a second . . . Lionel Luthor, head of the most influential company in the nation and holder of the "most frequently pictured in The Daily Planet" title was MURDERED, yet I haven't seen a hint of an investigation in any newspaper or broadcast except one measly article in the paper yesterday! ...Am I the only one who sees something wrong here? _

Chloe pulled into the Kent's driveway, where Clark was playing a game of extreme basketball with himself. It was Chloe's nickname for Clark's unique way of shooting hoops- from 100 feet away. "Seriously, Clark, try to be a little more discreet with your powers. I mean, you're breaking every basketball world record and defying the basic laws of human limitation in plain sight. I think it would be, at the very least, awkward to explain to your parents that you were discovered by Smallville's finest UFO hunters in your own backyard."

"Chloe, shut up," muttered Clark.

"OK, _somebody's_ in a bad mood this morning. Is this still about the date from hell the other day?"

"No, that's over. I dumped Lana yesterday. I feel kind of bad, but I'm actually ok with being single again. I'm past my Lana-lusting phase."

_Yes, yes, YES!_ Thought Chloe. _Ugh, who am I kidding? . . . I had my shot with Clark and I blew it. But still, it feels kinda good that Lana couldn't have Clark either . . . _"So, what's your problem then?"

"I'm just in a bad mood, I guess. You get really worn out keeping this secret, and the whole deal with Lana didn't help. I'll be ok," Clark said, seeing the concerned look on Chloe's face.

"Good, because I can't have you moping while you're helping me out with a new case that, well, captured my interest."

"You always have something up your sleeve, don't you? OK, what goose chase are you sending me on today?" Clark asked.

Chloe smiled. "None other than the unsolved mystery that is the murder of Lionel Luthor! And it's far from a goose chase- the richest man in Metropolis is killed, and there isn't even a hint of an investigation, not even a new suspect! This is the story of a lifetime! This can make or break our careers!"

_"Our_ careers? Chloe, I don't know if I even want to be a journalist."

"Well, for somebody who doesn't want to be a journalist, you are certainly very good at it, not to mention that you've been my assistant on all of my investigative missions since 9th grade. Just picture this: 'The Sullivan-Kent team'. _I_ the witty, brave, driven, well-connected leader and _you_ my super strong alien assistant!" Chloe exclaimed.

"Why am _I_ the assistant?"

"We'll iron out the details later. But you are helping me with this! Now, let's just get started! Meet me tomorrow at my dorm. We're checking out the crime scene- early, when nobody's around. Is 4:30 good? Great." Chloe stated quickly, not wasting a moment.

"Chloe, I-"

"Oh, and could you try to wear something black? Red plaid flannel is too bright, considering that we're trying to go unnoticed- and your fashion sense just _screams_ 'outsider' compared to what people wear in the city. Got it? Good. OK, 4:30, remember. See ya!" Chloe rambled, as she climbed into her car and sped off, leaving Clark standing in the driveway, slightly confused, still trying to process what Chloe had said in her rush, and making a mental note to raid his father's closet for something to wear tomorrow.


	4. Commence

YAY MORE UPDATES!

Sorry bout the wait...schoolwork is synonymous with EVIL...but here it is! CHAPTER 4 of my fic!

Thank you to all of my readers! and especially MadDogLane and ImKindaOffBalance (yea, Lana bashing is indeed fun)

**FAIR WARNING: **The amount of uselessness this chp serves is, well, useless. Consider it a filler; simply fluff. Pure, unadulterated fluff. I was barindead as far as this chp goes...I can't wait 2 get started on the next one tho! It's gonna be AWESOME! (as of now, at least)

**FAIR WARNING 2: **Only Clark, Chloe, and Lex are in this chapter :(

**FAIR WARNING 3:** 0 action...again. IM GETTING THERE!

OK...enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 4: COMMENCE**

* * *

"Clark?" Chloe whispered through the door. "Clark, is that you?"

"Yea, let me in, Chloe," Clark answered. Chloe unlocked the door to her dorm and took it on faith that the man who entered her room was indeed Clark, as she couldn't see the nose in front of her face because the entire building was dark. The room was also relatively quiet, except for Chloe's roommate, whose snores penetrated the eerie silence. "Chloe, why are you whispering?"

"My roommate's still asleep, and she's a bit nosy. Let's just say that she asks too many question for OUR own good. The last thing we need is for her to wake up." Chloe replied

The two made their way outside, where the streetlights allowed for the pair to see each other for the first time. Chloe sported a fitted black outfit, contrasting her usually colorful wardrobe. Clark's outfit was even more of a shock. He had discovered some leftovers from his last run in with red kryptonite, and sported Kal's black pants with a long black jacket and button down shirt. Chloe looked at Clark dumbstruck. She hated to admit it, but she was still infatuated with Clark. The crush that she had on him had lasted even when she and Clark had agreed that 'just friends' was all they were and all they ever would be.

"Hey, Chloe, where did you park?" Clark inquired. He noticed the distant look on Chloe's face. "Chloe? CHLOE!"

"Huh, what?" said Chloe, waking from the hypnotic trance that dawned on her after looking at Clark's ass for too long. "Oh, I parked in the lot . . . c'mon"

They made their way to Chloe's VW bug, which was secretly stashed with an abundance of lethal weapons and spy equipment (thank goodness she never got pulled over . . . imagine that scene!) and began their journey to LuthorCorp Tower. "Clark, did you do any research last night into the case?"

"Was I supposed to?"

"Clark, Clark, Clark . . . every good journalist knows that you have to at least KNOW what you're looking for BEFORE you look for it! Good thing I've done enough research for the both of us!" Chloe exclaimed as she stopped for the light and heaved a folder out of her bag, holding a collection of photos, employee and visitor logs, and assorted internet articles. Clark's eyes opened wide, and he began sifting through the files.

Chloe began to explain her findings. "OK, I talked to my source, and he gave me a little _insight_into the life of our deceased billionaire. Apparently, Lionel Luthor kept a very strict schedule. He went to meetings, lunch, more meetings, blah blah blah. Fast forward to about midnight. Lionel was a major insomniac- occasionally he spent the night locked in his office. Lionel never clocked out the night of his murder, so you can pretty much assume that he was in his room when the explosion went off. Now here's the catch: Lionel locks his room- he became a bit paranoid in his old age. So whoever killed him must have had a key!"

"One problem with your theory," Clark began, "Is that maybe the door melted or blew up in the explosion? I don't know, there's just too many variables to determine that right now. He could have had a visitor who was working with the other assassin and killed him, or he took a bathroom break and left the room, or they'd already killed him when the building exploded and planted the body, or-"

"Clark, shut up. Yea, all of that could happen, but lets check out the crime scene first, OK?"

Several minutes later Clark and Chloe pulled into a parking spot near LuthorCorp and, equipped with a camera, entered the wreckage of the tower. They navigated the maze of ashen debris and caution tape, and slowly made their way to Lionel Luthor's business suite. They stopped briefly in the hallwayto examine the damage from the blast. Blood tainted the walls, and pieces of ripped fabric and documents were scattered around. Chloe winced at the sight, but gathered her composure and motioned Clark toward the door.

"There's his office," said Chloe, stating the obvious, as there was gold lettering adorning the door with Lionel's name. "The lettering is melted off . . . but shouldn't the door have burned or melted or at least been _dented_?" Indeed, the pristine door stood out against the charred remains of the hall. "Must be reinforced or something." She grasped at the handle, but it wouldn't budge. "Crap, it's jammed. A little help from my big strong Kryptionian sidekick?"

Clark growled at the mention of 'sidekick,' and pulled at the door with minimal strength, jarring it open and exposing what lay ahead of them.

"Ok! Let's see what we're dealing with," Chloe commented. They stepped inside. The room was scattered with documents and overturned chairs. Chloe gathered up some of the papers and photographed them, planning to examine the information later.

"Hey, Chlo, come see this." said Clark, motioning her to the oak desk that sat in the corner. He pointed toward a bullet hole. "Look . . . it looks like Lionel was shot right here." The hole was surrounded by a pool of blood that had stained the once-pristine ivory carpeting. Chloe began snapping her camera, the flash illuminating the bleak scene. Clark paced around the room, waiting for Chloe to finish up.

* * *

Lex Luthor's heart pounded as he made the call. His heart told him to hang up the phone, and come clean about how he . . . murdered . . . his father. Killing didn't come easy to Lex, but something inside of himself willed him toward such extremes. Regret and fear marred his once clear vision of his plans for his future. _Did I need to kill my father?_ _Could I have_ _somehow resolved our problems without resorting to such drastic means? _Lex hung up the phone and began to pace around the room. _What kind of monster have I become?_

Lex pondered this for several minutes. _But . . . my father is the one at fault for who I am . . . his STANDARDS for me . . . the pressure the expectations . . . I could never truly be his son . . . _

Yet it was only through Lionel's own death that Lex had indeed become his son. The blood that stained his hands . . . the blood of so many . . . innocents . . . monsters . . . It was this blood that branded him a true Luthor for eternity.

Lex closed his eyes . . . _There is no turning back . . . I must do whatever it takes . . . _He picked up his phone and pressed redial. It rang several times before a deep baritone answered. "Are we on?"

"Do it."

* * *

Clark hadn't noticed the many phone conversations that had been tapped over the past few days, nor the unmarked black car that had been tailing Chloe's car from the school to LuthorCorp Tower, and especially not the tall, masked man that was navigating the vents of the skyscraper. However, as he paced the office of the late billionaire, Clark did notice an almost inaudible, mechanical squeak that he had first dismissed as Chloe's camera. It persisted, even after Chloe had packed away her camera, and Clark looked around the room. That's when Clark realized . . . "Chloe? I think we have a problem."

* * *


	5. Big Brother's Watching YOU

**Hello, my fellow Smallville obsessed dudes (and dudettes)!**

**FallenStar returns with yet another evil cliffy! But, do not worry, Part II is gonna be up either today or tomorrow, as we find out more about Chloe's...mwhahaha I ain't telling ya!**

**FAIR WARNING: I have decided to take season 5 (**post arrival, because DUH, Chloe knows about Clark**) and chuck it down the imaginary Fanfiction garbage can. As much as i LOVE season 5 (**the best yet!**) It won't fit in this story. So pretend it never happened. Just thought I'd clear that up!**

**FAIR WARNING 2: Excuse the shortness...It is only a full page long in my notebook, so it is the 2nd shortest chappy to date...they should get longer,though!**

**FAIR WARNING 3: FINALLY! SOME ACTION! AAAAHHHHHH!**

**No romance though...**

**OK! So sit back and enjoy the show**

* * *

**Chp. 5**

**Big Brother's Watching YOU** (Part I)

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The masked man crawled between the cramped pipes of the LuthorCorp building, slowly climbing the floors, and muttering profanities the whole while. He only took this job because he was being payed . . . very well, actually. So he sucked up his anger and claustrophobia, and continued on. The faint muttering of voices slowly grew stronger; he was getting closer to the targets. Finally, he stumbled upon the correct room. He had a good visual of the man and woman, who were pointing and mumbling something about cameras. He adjusted his gun, maneuvering it so that it barely protruded from the grating. He would take out the girl first- she was the closest to the vent. And with this thought, the man took aim . . .

* * *

"Chloe? I think we have a problem."

"_What?_"

Clark pointed across the room, to a spot above Chloe's head. In a small corner, barely noticeable in the darkness, was a security camera.

"So? It's probably off," Chloe commented. "Think about it, why would there still be electricity in this building? It's been _blown up_! Hence why we've been using a stupid flashlight!"

"Yea, that's what I first thought. But watch this" Clark moved a few feet to the right, as Chloe looked at the camera, which began to follow Clark's every move. "It's motion sensitive-that means that our whole investigation, not to mention enough information to get us imprisoned for trespassing, is sitting in a tape somewhere right now."

"Crap . . . " Chloe muttered. "Uh, HELLO! Don't just stand there! Break that goddamn thing!"

Clark stared at the tiny, black camera, planning to incinerate it with his heat vision. He was interrupted, however, by a deafening pop. A split second later he was in super speed, and saw a single bullet, making its way to Chloe, and coming within inches of her. Clark rushed to her and covered her body with his own, but it was too late.

"CHLOE!"

* * *


	6. Blurry

**I'm BACK!**

**I apologize for my 3 month vacation from writing. These past few months have not been good to me, and my creative ideas took a back seat for a bit. But I'm back with an update to "eris," because I vowed to finish it when I dove into this fic, and won't go back on my word! Thanks to everyone!**

**OK, HERE WE GO!****  
****Chp 6a: Blurry**

The sun rose over the black skies of Metropolis, with the glow of the streetlights shining an unnatural orange over the otherwise placid scenery of an early weekday morning. Businessmen, clad in fitted black suits and shined leather shoes, were shaken from their grogginess by a sudden wind and a brief glimpse of red and black exploding across the highway. They resumed their journey, more tired than ever, dismissing the apparition as one two many drinks at the company Christmas party the night before. Yet, unknown to them, the figure carried a burden and fear that were more real than the ethereal illusion that surrounded them in the daily business of their lives.

This figure was none other than Clark Kent. Tears stained his cheeks, and blood covered his black clothes, yet the blood was not his own. It belonged to the intrepid reporter lying limp in his arms. _I wasn't fast enough. . .Chloe's gonna die. . .and its MY GODDAMN FAULT! Don't think that, Kent, she won't die. . .she can't. . .I won't let her. I'm gonna due whatever I can. . .I just gotta run. . .Keep running, Kent. . .Do that and maybe you can save her. . ._

The scene passed in all of a few seconds, but upon Clark's arrival at the Metropolis Medical center, he couldn't help but fall to his knees, as the journey that felt like an eternity came to an end with the sight of his dying friend lying still on the stretcher. "She'll be OK," the doctors kept telling him, but he knew in his heart that he could never forgive himself. . .that he failed her.


	7. Hallucinate

**6B: Hallucinate**

_I woke up lying in my bedroom. I spotted my alarm clock, and realized that I was gonna be late for school. I had my Lit final today in Ms. Norton's class, the last test before summer break, and I'd spent all last night. . .wait, where WAS I?_

_I could hear Clark calling. _"Chlo, get up! Please wake up!" _I called back to him, but my mouth wouldn't open. It was shut tight. I wanted to tell him that I'd never leave him. That I loved him. . .that I would love him until the day I died. But I knew he couldn't hear me._ "Chloe I'm sorry. Please, get up! I'll do anything._" Hehehe, even date me? Of course not. You look at your father with more romantic desire than you do with me_._ Clark, I'm the girl of your dreams masquerading as your best friend_. _Whoa, dejavu. Maybe I should stick to decaf. This whole moment seems so familiar. . .but I can't place it. _

"Come on, cuz, please. . .you're strong, you can pull through this!" _Lois? Of course you're with Clark. I know you too well, Lo, I see the was you and Clark act around each other_. _You pretend to hate him, but I know better. You act so much like a married couple, and it's SO obvious! You WANT him_. _And ya know what, cuz? I think he wants you. Face it, Clark and I are over. Done. Caput. But you! You two have a clean slate_. _Love him and never let him go._ _Don't make the same mistake I did. . . They're still calling me, and I still have an hour before 1st period. . .Damn, I don't wanna get up yet!_

"Five more minutes!" Chloe growled, rolling onto her side.

Lois and Clark looked at Chloe, eyes red and puffy, but suddenly filled with joy and laughter. Chloe pulled through. Granted, she was a bit cranky, but neither of them could ask for anything more, except for the safe return of their dear friend.


	8. We all have our little psychoses!

**

* * *

Chp 7: We all have our little psychoses!

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**

**TheDay of the Accident**

Lex Luthor sat at his study, a feeling of cheerful expectation and guilt overtaking him at the same time. On the one hand, he was ecstatic that he had finally succeeded in taking out the man who had deceived him, backstabbed him, made it a point to screw him over. _Did he? Clark was my best friend, my only friend. Maybe his secrets were too much for me to handle, like he said. . .that's why he always kept me at arms length. . .No, he and his family never accepted me, and friends are ALWAYS truthful with each other. He softened me, made me believe that he actually enjoyed my company, that we were best friends. I told him things about myself that I've never told ANYBODY, but Clark. . . CLARK couldn't trust me enough to return the favor. He thought so little of me. . .that I was the bratty little rich kid next door, that I'd rat him out, that I'd use whatever he was hiding against him. _The phone rang. _Goddamn that phone! _

He answered the call. "WHAAAT!" Lex shouted into the receiver. The man on the other end was not startled; he was used to agitated employers. But the news he was about to deliver made him worry about Lex's volatile state.

"Yeah boss, I got up the skyscraper just like you said. I was gonna take 'em both out, I really was, boss!" the hit man said in a deep baritone, a thick southern accent making the words slide off his lips like molasses, and making Lex all the more impatient.

"Well, then?" Lex responded, his face flushing a deep red.

"I went to take out the gal he was with first, I had a clear shot and ev'rything, but next thing I knew, the guy was runnin' off with 'er! Boss, he was faster than anythin' I've ever seen before! Ran off like a goddamn bullet, he did! I ain't never seen nuthin' like it, sir."

Lex rubbed his eyes and clenched his teeth. "So they're still out there?"

"I s'pose so, Boss."

"You have a family, Mister. . .?"

"Johnson, sir"

"Mr. Johnson, do you have a family?"

"Yessir, back home in Oklahoma. 3 girls and a boy on the way."

"Not for long," Lex said with a grunt, hanging up the receiver.

He paced the halls of his mansion, desperately thinking of a plan-B to take out the elusive Clark Kent. But for now, he needed to destroy any hint of a "motive" that could be used against him, incase that bastard Johnson decided to squeal on him before he could _permanently_ get rid of him. He knew exactly what he had to do. He had to act as though nothing had ever changed between he and Clark. He decided to make pay a visit to his old friend.

* * *

**A WEEK LATER**

A week had passed since the shooting at LuthorCorp Tower. Chloe was recovering fast, and in relatively good spirits, considering the throbbing bullet wound in her abdomen. Frequent visits from her friends and family kept her occupied during the hours she was not sedated into a deep slumber. The Kents would always drop by after the farmwork was done and all chores taken care of. Lana was doing another internship in France, but had sent her a card with her best wishes.

But even though her senses were considerably numbed by the hours of bed rest and regular doses of painkiller, Chloe found herself laughing inside during the nighttime vigil that were being kept by Lois and Clark at the present time. This was because, even in her sleepy state, she could see them holding hands as they sat side by side. After a few minutes, they jerked away from each other and, with looks of disgust, resumed their habit of exchanging snarky comments. _They are SO in denial,_ Chloe thought, as Lois made a comment about Clark's sweaty palms.

Chloe soon grew bored of her feigned slumber, and decided to interrupt the silence by announcing her return from her sedative-induced world of pink elephants and men in tights.

"Good evening, lovebirds!" She piped up.

A look of embarrassment flashed across Lois' face, but was quickly replaced with one of composure. Clark maintained the "big dumb alien" visage that signaled a guilty conscience. Both of them chose to ignore this greeting and attempted to change the subject.

"Feel better, Chloe?" Clark asked

"A bit caffeine deprived, go get me a latte," Chloe ordered.

"Are you _sure _you can have that, Chloe, I mean-"

"What are you, Super-Healthcare professional-man? That's an order, Clarky boy" Chloe snapped." Without another word, Clark stepped out of the room. "You, Miss Lane, have another task at hand!"

"Your wish is my command, 'Chloe the Most High,'" Lois said, smiling through gritted teeth.

"God, I could get used to this." She said with a smile, that clearly hid an ulterior motive. "OK, Lo, I'm gonna be straight with you. Just because I am in a drug induced stupor doesn't mean I'm blind, so admit it. You have got the hots for Kansas' most eligible farm boy!"

Lois blushed. "Of course not."

"Admit it."

"NO!"

"I'll give you a cookie!"

"Shut up."

"Say it"

"No. . ."

"_Say it"_

"I LIKE CLARK!"

The room was silent. Suddenly, Lois continued. "I really like Clark. '_Like him_' like him." I don't know how it happened, I was just going about my daily business, when BAM, it hits me like an anvil that I'm falling for that stupid, arrogant, Kansas hick farm boy! I tried to stop thinking about him, I really did! It's just that he makes me so. . .confused! I mean, my GOD Chloe! _Nobody_, and you've known me as far back as you can probably remember, has EVER managed to reduce me to such a nervous wreck! I'm a LANE! We're supposed to be cool, calm, and collected, not to mention ready to kick some serious ass at ALL times, but when I'm around Clark lately, I feel like all my defenses are down. . .like I can't say anything or that I'll trip up, and, quite frankly, the way he does this to me. . .It's really hot."

Lois turned beet red. She had just layed all her cards out on the table, and felt completely naked in front of her ever-vigilant cousin. She quickly tried to cover her tactical mistake. "It's just a phase, Chloe," she said quickly. "No biggie. I'm taking absolutely no stock in this whatsoever. Consider Clark just the annoying dude I'm forced to reside with. Nothing more."

Chloe cocked her eyebrow and wore a look on of disbelief and humor on her face, seeing the ineffectiveness of Lois' pathetic cover-up. "Lois, I'm gonna be completely straight with you, because I'm your cousin and I love you. But I think that you are a complete idiot."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. I know you better than you know yourself. You love Clark, but you're gonna sit back and ignore your feelings, because you're scared." Chloe said in a reprimanding tone. Lois simply stared as Chloe continued. "You're afraid of getting hurt by Clark. You care for him so much that you're scared of opening your heart up, making yourself vulnerable, because you don't wanna get your heart ripped to pieces. But I'm gonna give you a piece of advice from someone who has made their fare share of relationship mistakes, several of them with our own resident Boy Scout. Never let your feelings go unheard, because if you do, you may just be missing out on the opportunity of a lifetime. So tell him. Tell him everything. Because, even if he rejects you, you will know that you did everything you could to make this relationship happen, and won't have any regrets about it."

Lois stared down into her lap, knowing full well that everything Chloe said was spot-on. She finally responded, "Hey, Chloe, think you could've gone a bit easier on the Freud act? You sound like a psychologist."

"Zat eez zee point, my leetle nut job!" Chloe laughed, with a poorly imitated accent. "I possess the right to spew out a little advice now and then, considering that I'm the mature one in this relationship."

"I'm a year and a half older than you!"

"Who said anything about age?"

"Point taken. But seriously, Chloe, I don't know if I'm ready to spill out my feelings just yet. Maybe I should just wait for the right time." Lois states.

"Don't take too long, Lois. Because you never know when it'll be too late.


	9. Come Clean

**I'm BAAAACCKK**

**Ok, in truth it hasn't been THAT long since I updated, and this is only part ONE in a two part chapter in which the 2nd part is slightly more interesting than the 1st part but hey, I'm overdue for a filler! **

**THANKS TO ALL MY REVIEWERS! Remember: Reviews help me make this story better! Feel free to yell at me at any time :D :D :D

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**

**WARNING: Shameless filler. Sorry, guys, but I wrote this while studying Post-classical civilizations, so it's a bit. . .how shall I put this. . .sucky**

**WARNING #2: Bit of a cliffy. Sort-of. ISH.**

**WARNING #3: Muy short. Like this warning.

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**

**Chp. 8a COME CLEAN

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"So, there's still something you have yet to explain to me, Chlo," Lois inquired**

"Shoot."

"How on EARTH did you get shot?"

"Lois, we've been through this! Please drop it."

"No, Chloe! I mean, why were you down in downtown Metropolis at 4 in the morning, and what the hell were you doing there?"

"I told you, Lo, I was with Clark at a party that my friend invited me to when, I don't know, I guess I just got caught in the crossfire," Chloe stated matter-of-factly.

"Your story isn't adding up, Chlo." Lois stated, as Chloe began tapping her fingers, a nervous gesture. "1st off, Clark is FAR from the partying type. You know it, I know it, _the_ _American people know it_! 2nd, there were absolutely NO witnesses to this shooting, except our favorite farm boy. You were _supposedly_ in the most crowded part of Metropolis. Even at 4 in the morning, _somebody_ would have heard about this. And 3rd, if there WAS a wild and crazy party in Metropolis that night, I, of all people, would have known about it! So tell me the truth, because I won't stop bugging you until you do! I've known you forever. I know when you're lying to me!"

"Have I mentioned how _nice_ you look today?"

"_CHLOE!"_

"Lois, there's nothing more to this! I don't know how or why it happened, all I know is that I was a little drunk, and Clark was gonna take me home. We were walking to the car, and the next thing I remember was waking up in this hospital room! Sorry, Lo, but there's no juicy story to be had here." Chloe said, a look of pain flashing in her eyes

"OK, Chloe, I believe you," Lois said as convincingly as she could, realizing that she was hurting Chloe. But deep down, she was troubled, because she knew her cousin was lying to her.

* * *

Clark returned to Chloe's room with a foaming caramel latte spilling over the cup onto his hands and shirt. The hospital coffee machine was out of order, so Clark decided speed around looking for the nearest Starbucks (which, incidentally, was around the corner, but he failed to realize this right away). Now he was standing in the doorway to Chloe's room smelling like caramel fudge, and thinking to himself how super speed and hot liquids are not a good mix.

Clark stepped into the room to find Lois sitting on the edge of Chloe's bed, with Chloe sound asleep next to her. "She's been out for a few minutes." Lois whispered, rising from her place and stepping out of the room. She motioned Clark to follow her, closing the door behind him.

"Great! You got me a latte! I'm_ parched_. Sitting in that room all night really _can_ get to a person you know!" Lois said in an all-to-perky tone. She grabbed the drink from Clark's hand. "OW! This thing is burning! How'd you manage to carry this thing!" She winced. _Great_,_ Lane, that has to be the most pathetic attempt at small-talk I've ever heard. You sound like a little valley girl! 'Oh, Clark, how'd you manage to carry that, you big strong manly-man!' Idiot. . .Ok, you gotta recover from this. . . .I wonder what his shoe size is. . . .LOIS! STOP! Just talk to him like you normally would! Here goes nothing. . ._

"Lois?" Clark inquired, seeing that Lois had stopped talking. "Uh, are you ok?"

"Yeah, never better!" Lois fake-laughed. "Hey Smallville, what time is it anyway?"

"10 to 9"

"Ok. Not too late. Got to get back to work today. I feel bad leaving your mom all alone at the Talon." She began to take a sip from her half-empty latte. "Geez, Smallville, did you manage to spill all of this? Guess it makes sense that you'd trip over those big ol' Sasquatch feet of yours." _Please God tell me I didn't say that! DAMN THINKING OUT LOUD!. . ._

Clark smiled, knowing that Lois was emotionally beating herself up over her comments. While he was less that a genius at deciphering the emotions of the fairer sex, he picked up on Lois' classic "deer caught staring at the headlights" look, signaling a massive tactical error having occurred. But he wasn't gonna call her on it, for some reason that he couldn't yet identify.

He always hated Lois. They were polar opposites! But today, a strange emotion hit himHe looked Lois, her hair tousled and pulled into a loose ponytail, her makeup slightly smudged and her eyes tired and red, but couldn't imagine her any more beautiful. _Beautiful? Lois? I really need to get some sleep, I'm seeing things . . . _But no matter how hard he tried, his mind kept playing back that glorious moment when he held Lois' gentle hands in his, just a few hours ago.

Lois' gaze relaxed as she saw a look of humor sweep over Clark's face, and allowed herself to crack a smile. She liked him, _a lot, _and knew that Chloe was right, that she had to tell Clark sooner or later that she loved him. _Oh crap am I really gonna do this? Oh my god oh my god I am I am I am . . . . .What if he doesn't like me back? Or I say something stupid or I come off as taking advantage of the rebound?. . .I mean he DID just break up with Lana. Damn it. Just go! On the count of 3 tell him. . .Ok . . . .1. .2. .3. . . . crap. . . . . Let's try this again. 1. . .2. . ._ "Hey, Clark, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"We are talking, Lois. What's the matter? Are you ok? you seem tense, " Clark asked, genuinely concerned.

"Me? Naahh. . .I'm not tense, I'm just. . .Listen, Smallville, there's something I gotta tell you."

* * *

. . . . .TBC. . .

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	10. Strange Visitor

**YAY UPDATES!**

**I think writing "Midnight" really helped clear my head, and got the incentive up (PS. Yes, this is a plug. Go read "Midnight" and comment back)**

**ahh. . .plugs**

**OK! Now to the important stuff**

**Thank you to all my readers! Without you, this fic would be DOA, MIA, and all those cool 3 letter acronyms that signal death and destrusction. . .**

**R&R. Enjoy!

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Chapter 9: Strange Visitor

* * *

"Yeah, Lois?" Clark replied.

"Look, Smallville, we've known each other for two years, and I think that I've been in serious denial about what I'm about to tell you, but the truth is that it's been tearing me up inside for a while now, and I think that, to be fair to both of us, I need to get this off my chest. Clark, I really, really li—"

"Hello, Clark"

Clark diverted his attention from Lois to find the origin of this voice. He turned around, and was met with the smiling face of Lex Luthor, holding a bouquet of flowers in his hand and extending his arm in greeting.

"Lois, can this wait till later?" Clark asked, not even making eye contact with her, but all the time staring at Lex's face with a look of contempt. Lex pulled his arm to his side, seeing Clark's discontent with his visit.

Lois was crushed. "Yeah, Clark, sure," she said softly, nervously grabbing her hair and looking away, so that no one could hear her. "It wasn't that important anyway."

* * *

Clark followed Lex down the hallway, but grabbed at his arm when he began to approach Chloe's room. "Lex, what the HELL are you doing here?" He asked, teeth bared and eyes flashing red for a split second.

"Clark, I came down here to give Chloe my best wishes. I am terribly sorry about what happened to her, and I wanted to let her know that I hope she's feeling better, and that I promise to get to the bottom of this, and put the shooter to justice." Lex said.

"Since when are you concerned about anybody but yourself, Lex? Last I checked, we weren't exactly on the best of terms, and _your actions_ are part of the reason that we aren't even on speaking terms!" Clark fumed.

"Look, Clark, there was another reason I came here,"

"Of course there is! Lex, you'll never change, will you?"

"Clark, let me finish before you pull out the claws. I came here to speak to you, Clark. I miss having you in my life, and I think I owe you an apology. I've been less than honest with you regarding a lot of things, but my admiration of you is 100 legitimate. You're a great man, Clark, you help so many people, and I can only hope to be half as great as you. Let's start over, Clark. Give me another chance." Lex said, his voice low and unwavering, but still emotional and pleading.

"Lex, what you've done is beyond redemption! You have to earn my trust, Lex, and right now, you have a lot of ground to cover! So get the hell away from me, and stay away from Chloe!" Clark shouted with an anger that resonated with the echo of his voice in the barren hallway. But his face betrayed the emotion that he was so desperately trying to hide from Lex. He had a look of hope. . .hope that Lex was indeed sincere in his intentions, hope that Lex could change, and hope that maybe one day he could forgive Lex.

Lex showed no emotion. He handed over the flowers to Clark. "Give Chloe my best wishes," he said abruptly, before he walked away. Clark looked hurt, but at the same time concerned for Lex, and that was exactly what Lex had set out to accomplish. The seeds of forgiveness had been planted in Clark's head, beginning to turn the wheels of doubt about Lex's turn towards evil. Clark stared down the hallway, and then into the pink flowers in his hands. _Could Lex really be changing? _He wondered. . .

* * *


	11. She's Back!

**hooray for updates! **

Chp 10 is here! I'm gonna really be moving the story along now, so have fun, and hold on tight, cuz it's gonna be a bumpy ride!

(special thanks to my reviewers)  
. . .remember, reviews make me feel pretty. If my self esteem goes to the gutter, I blame you. . .

WARNING: Lex's storyline's gonna get crazy.  
WARNING 2: in a few chapters, we may see intimate clois. Break out the mood lighting!

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Chapter 10: She's Back!

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Clark found himself staring blankly at the ceiling of his loft. Images of Lois kept flashing in his mind. He saw her sleeping in his plaid t-shirts, wearing a red bathing suit at the beach, smiling so that her eyes glowed and he was nearly blinded by her pearly whites. But the one event that kept playing over and over in his mind (which was probably the only thing keeping his heat vision in check) were Lois' words to him at the hospital. She had something to tell him, and he could tell that it was important. She was only serious when she absolutely needed to be, and Clark noticed that there was no hint of sarcasm in her voice. He wanted to know what was so important. So he picked up the phone and began to dial. . .

"So, did ya miss me Clark?" Chloe's voice rang from the stairwell. She moved slowly from the pain in her side, and bandages bulged from the side of her blouse, but her smile was radiant none the less.

"Chloe! Wow, I never thought I'd be this happy to see you limping into my loft . . . when were you discharged?" Clark asked, setting down the phone.

"A few hours ago. I managed to drive here myself, and even picked up a little something on the way here" she said, revealing two bags of McDonalds in her hands. They cleared a place on the coffee table, and sat together, happily filling themselves with Big Macs and sodas.

"This is such an improvement over the cardboard garbage they gave us in the hospital" Chloe declared between bites.

"Chloe, maybe you should stay here for a few days, until you feel better. I don't know if it's safe for you to go back to your dorm yet,"

"Clark, I'm fine. I can take care of myself" Chloe retorted, rising from her seat. "OW!" she yelled in a surge of pain, followed by a string of profanities. "Maybe I could recover here for a few days" She grunted, holding her side.

"No problem, Chlo, you can take my room"

"But what about Lois?"

"She'll survive sleeping on the living room sofa for a few nights. I'll crash up here"

"Thanks, Clark"

* * *

Lex sat in his study. He wasn't doing anything in particular, which was an unusual event. Since he was a child, Lex was always preoccupied by something, but on this cold November night, he simply sat, staring blankly at the fireplace. He admired the flames, how they could at the same time be warm and comforting and destructive. He wanted the power that fire held; it was trumped by nothing.

Lex sensed something moving from the corner of his eye, breaking him of his trance. He whisked around, only to see the open window causing the curtains to flutter. He rose and shut the windows. But there it was again; it moved like a shadow, but before he could get a glimpse of it, it disappeared from his sight. He ran to the window, but saw nothing. He ran all the way out the door, and onto the street, but saw only the glint of the sun over the horizon and felt only a slight chill down his spine.

* * *

"So, Clark, have you enjoyed your vacation from the strange and unusual?" Chloe inquired.

"I'm an alien, Chloe. My life is nothing but strange and unusual."

"Not that, Clark. I mean the murder of Lionel Luthor! I may have been on hiatus from our little mission but I want to jump right back into solving that case. This could be my big break, you know," she retorted.

"The thing is, I don't know if I want to go back to that case, Chlo. You were almost killed, and my powers may have been caught on tape by that godforsaken camera and taken who knows where!" Chloe frowned. "I'm done playing superman."

The glint in Chloe's eyes disappeared. Her smile faded, and a pale gloom moved over her face, knowing that Clark had given up. But Chloe wasn't ready to give up as well.

"OK, Clark. You don't have to help me anymore. But I'm gonna solve this story if it's the last thing I do . . . With or without you."


	12. On the First Day of Christmas

I'm back again with an update, I'm getting better with consistency (claps for self)

I wrote another fic, _Lucifer,_ that I could use some comments on! Please review so I can get better!

enjoy!

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**CHAPTER 12: On the first day of Christmas. . .**

* * *

Several weeks had passed, and the Kent home was preparing for the first of an elaborate 12 day tradition that heralded Christmas Day. Lois was more concerned, however, with getting dorm at Met. U set up and ready to go, and slowly moving out from the Kent's home. It took a lot of effort, but 2 interviews and a few recommendations later, Lois was un-expelled from college and would begin the new semester with a clean slate.

Chloe was still staying at the Kent's, mostly because she was still suffering bouts of pain from the gunshot, but partially because Martha Kent's cooking put most restaurants to shame. She was currently planted on the living room sofa, drinking a cup of peppermint cocoa and eyeing Clark's backside as he attempted to untangle himself from the string of tree lights that wrapped around his torso.

"Tough guy Clark Kent verses the evil Christmas ornaments! _Who will win this epic battle? _Seriously,Clark, put some muscle into it," Chloe laughed.

"Two more seconds, Chloe, and I'm lighting every ornament in this house on fire," Clark mumbled at he squirmed out of the strings.

"Hey, where's Lois? She's missing a golden opportunity to call you funny names and make sarcastic comments relating the tree lights to male genitalia." Chloe commented.

"I'm right here!" Lois called from the stairs, as she carried a box labeled 'X-MAS' in her arms. "Sorry I'm late. I overslept."

"It's 4:30," Chloe and Clark said simultaneously.

"Ok, I overslept _a lot_. . . Jeez, guys, I've been working a lot lately, and with my new dorm and registration I've just been going psycho," Lois retorted. "Anyway I come bearing gifts!" She opened the huge box and revealed a collection of ornaments dating back to Jonathan and Martha's childhood. They had a tradition of buying at least 1 new ornament per year, so the tree was always crowded by an eclectic mix of charms hanging from the tree.

"Oh my gosh! Look at _this_!" Chloe said holding up a picture of Clark as a small child, sitting on Santa's lap, in a little red outfit complete with a goofy smile (with absolutely no teeth.) "And he's wearing antlers!" Chloe giggled. Clark turned bright red as the two girls fell on the floor laughing. Clark attempted to grab the photo from them, but Lois slapped his hand away. "No way, Smallville. You're not getting your hands on this baby!" She stared at the tree for a moment. "I have a great idea. Screw the star this year." She grabbed a pin from her hair and reached up to the top of the tree. She pinned the photo to the highest branch and stepped back. "An Ode to a Farm boy's Christmas' Past!"

Chloe spit out her drink and cracked up laughing. Clark reached up to grab the photo, but Lois tackled him. They both landed on the floor, Lois on top of Clark. They began to stare at each other. Suddenly their mouths started move closer together, inch by inch, until they could feel each other's breath. For a second, they remained, staring into each other's eyes, and feeling their bodies against each other for one glorious moment. Then they snapped back to reality. They jerked away from each other, and stood up. Lois abruptly grabbed her jacket and headed out the door.

"Where are you going?" Chloe called.

"I just remembered I left something at the Talon, I'll be back later."

Clark was dumbfounded. He had no idea what had just come over him. He stared out the door until Chloe finally spoke up and brought him back to reality. "What just happened?"

Clark just stared.

Chloe sighed. "Clark, admit it. You like Lois."

"I don't like Lois!" Clark said a little too quickly. Chloe stared him down. "Chloe, I really don't. Honest."

But Chloe was fed up. "Clark, I'm sick of you two playing closet lovebirds, and refusing to admit that you are perfect for each other! Do you not see that you're the best thing that's ever happened to her? She was humming sappy love songs in the shower for Christ's sake! SHE DOESN'T SING! EVER! You two are just too stubborn to admit that you love each other! TELL HER ALREADY!"

Clark stepped back. Although small, Chloe was actually kind of scary when she yells. "But what if she doesn't like me back?"

"She does. But despite that, isn't it worth the risk?"

"What about my secret? I don't want to have a repeat of what happened with Lana. "

"Here's my two cents. You have two choices. You can go on living with this secret, and lose Lois, or you could step up to the plate, and find love. It's your call, Clark."

Clark took in what Chloe said. She took the silence as getting the message across. "I'm gonna go lay down for a bit."

"OK. I have chores to do anyway." Clark said. He began to walk away, but he tripped over a cord from the lights and did a face plant into the hardwood.

"Score 1 for the Christmas ornaments." Chloe laughed as she walked away.

* * *

Chloe never went to her room to lay down and rest. She walked into the hallway, and remained there until Clark retreated to the barn. She snuck back downstairs, around the back, and into her car. Opening the glove compartment, she grabbed out a folder bursting with phone numbers, assorted files, and newspaper clippings. She felt bad lying to Clark, but she knew that he wanted to keep her from the Luthor case as much as he could_. But I'm doing this for him. . ._Chloe hadn't forgotten about the videotape from the LuthorCorp building, and how it most likely caught Clark moving at full speed after she was shot. She was headed to Kansas U. to meet her contact, who had some more info on what happened that day.

She pulled up next to the old science building and walked towards a blonde man in a black sweatshirt. "Nice weather we're having" He said.

"70 chance of thunderstorms."

"You Chloe?"

"You got what I need"

"You got the cash?"

Chloe nodded in reply. The man handed over a disc, and Chloe gave him a small bag with the money. She was used to shady types like this, and knew it was best to cut the small talk and get what you needed as soon as possible. The man was a genius, but a high school dropout, and somewhat unstable. But rumor had it that if you needed something done undercover, he would do it for you at a decent price.

Upon her return to the Kent farm, it was well past dinnertime. Clark was still in the loft, _probably dreaming about Lois, _she though. She crept into her room and plugged in the laptop. In an instant she was inserting the disk.

What she saw made her scream.


	13. Intercept

**Chapter 13- Intercept**

* * *

"Clark! CLARK!" Chloe shouted as she ran down the stairs, met by a confused Martha Kent. "Chloe, honey, what's the matter?"

"It's Lex." She panted, trying to catch her breath. "He . . . he. . ."

"What, Chloe, what's wrong with Lex?"

"He has a video of Clark. . ."

* * *

_I'm alone. _

_I'm seeing things, and I'm alone._

_Maybe my father's drugging me again._

_Wait a minute, he's dead._

_I killed him. _

_I watched him scream for his life. I shot him as he said my name. He called for me, he saw that I was past the point of no return, but even he couldn't stop me. _

_I see him everywhere I turn._

_His face is there when I look in the mirror._

_When I speak, it's his voice calling out to me._

_Saying my name. Over and over again_

'_Lex, don't do it.'_

_I did it anyway. _

_Sometimes I think I made the wrong choice_

_Sometimes. . ._

_What's done is done._

_We can only control the future._

_And I vow to make the most of it._

"Mr. Luthor?"

_I hate that name. _

"What!"

The man stepped back a few paces. Lex was rather intimidating when he was angry. "Our teams have gotten back some of the footage from the security cameras from your father's office.

"And?"

"Apparently some kids got into the building a few weeks ago."

_No shit. I knew about that since before they broke in. _"What took you so long to get the data?"

"Well, the connection was damaged by the fire. Unscrambling data, it's a long process," the man retorted, very professionally, but slightly annoyed at Lex's accusatory tone.

"Put it on my desk."

"Mr. Luthor, why are you so interested in this tape?" He said, laying it down on his desk.

"Get out."

* * *

"What do you mean, a video?"

"Mrs. Kent, the night I was shot, we weren't really at a party." Chloe explained, breaking the news to her as gently as she could, but still trying to let her know the truth. "Clark and I broke into LuthorCorp Plaza to investigate Lionel Luthor's murder. Somebody shot at us, and Clark went into super speed, right in front of a security camera. I'm so sorry, Mrs. Kent."

"So Lex knows," Martha sighed. Chloe shrugged, afraid to reply.

"We have to tell Clark." Chloe stated. "Where is he?"

"Last I saw he was trying to find Lois."


	14. All you need is love!

**Chapter 14 is up! Thanks to my reviewers! (and even you silent readers. Iknow you're there!)**

**Warning: Fluffy Clois will ensue.

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Chapter 14: All you need is love!

Clark had spent the last hour and a half in his loft. The sun was still high, but there was a slight sun shower over the area. Clark let the rain hit his face, which was cringed in deep thought. Martha had noticed that her son was very silent at dinner, and walked up the stairs to his loft hoping to find out why. "Honey, what's wrong?" she asked. Clark was staring blankly out the window, and Martha took a seat on the couch.

A few minutes passed in silence, and Martha, who was now sure that something was bothering her son, asked again. "Are you ok?"

Clark broke his stare and looked at his mother. "What do you do if you know that you want to do something so badly, but your afraid of the consequences, and even though your heart tells you to go for it, your head is pulling you back?"

"Well, it depends. It would really help if I knew what this something was."

"Mom, it's kind of embarrassing talking to you about this." Clark muttered

"_Embarrassing? _Since when are you embarrassed to talk to me?"

"It's complicated. . ."

"Is it a girl?"

"Sort of-"

"Let me guess; Tall, brunette, and currently residing in our humble home?"

"I really like her, mom." Clark blurted out.

"I don't blame you, she's quite a fireball," Martha chuckled. "So, what's the problem?"

"It's so weird, because at the same time I hate how pushy and annoying she is, but I can't stop thinking about her."

"Well, tell her! What do you have to lose?"

Clark shrugged. "It's harder for me, mom. No matter what I do, I will always be different, and I don't want my relationship with Lois to suffer the way mine and Lana's did. I don't want to lose her, and I'm petrified that no matter what I do, I'm gone push her away because of my secret."

The smile left Martha's face. "Clark, every since we found you, we've been doing everything in our power to protect you. We hid your origins from everyone, and made you do the same. But you're a man now, Clark. You have to decide for yourself if you want to tell Lois everything. But if you really love this girl, you owe it to her to tell her the truth, because it'll be the only way that she can truly love you back."

Clark sighed deeply. "I should go see her," he said as he moved towards the door.

* * *

Lois had driven straight to the Talon after the incident with Clark. Tears streaked mascara down her cheeks, and a cigarette dangled from her mouth, a habit that she had recently picked up again since Chloe's shooting. She blasted the radio, attempting to drown out the flurry of thoughts that were buzzing around her head. 

She had wanted to kiss Clark so badly when they were on top of each other. _But what stopped me? He was right there, and he didn't exactly fight back. He didn't even pull away._

She remembered his eyes so vividly. She had never really gotten such a good look at them until their _incident_. They were bright green, but had flecks of blue radiating out from the pupil that made his eyes appear different colors sometimes. She could have sworn that there was a little red in there as well, but she only saw it for a second, so she dismissed it as the lighting creating that illusion.

She arrived at the Talon just as it had begun to rain. She ran inside, slipping and sliding in the mud created by the rare sun shower that swept over the area, seeking cover under a newspaper. She walked into the Talon, which was still serving customers, but was dwindling in occupancy from the mid-afternoon rush to the diehard caffeine addicts that seemed to stay there all day. She rushed upstairs to the vacant apartment, and locked the door behind her, so nobody could see her cry.

* * *

Clark sped to the Talon. He had a hunch that Lois was there, considering her words to him before she left. He quickly checked his reflection in the store window, and then strolled inside. He spotted a waitress, and asked where Lois was, and was then directed upstairs. 

Lois had stopped crying by now, and was simply staring out the window. She had washed her face and combed her hair, which had been windswept and matted by the rain. She suddenly heard a knock at the door. _It's a vacant apartment, who the hell could it be? Well, at least I look slightly nicer now._ She opened the door, and was genuinely shocked to see a certain farmboy standing in front of her. "Clark?"

"Can I come in?" He asked timidly. Lois led him inside, and shut the door. "Lois, I think we really need to talk."

"Yeah, Clark, I know. I'm sorry for running out today. I was just kind of embarrassed after what happened. But I overreacted. I don't know what came over me."

"Yeah, Lois. But that's not why I came here." Clark replied. "There's something I need to-"

"Look, Clark," Lois interrupted. She began speaking very quickly. "I need to get this off my chest and I may sound like a complete idiot but I've been going insane the past few weeks and I tried to tell you in the hospital but then Lex showed up and the truth is that this has been on my mind for a while so I'm just gonna spit it out. I really _really_ like you, Clark." Lois stopped abruptly. A silence echoed in the room for what felt like an eternity.

"I think you should go," Lois whispered. She felt a lump well up in her throat, and her voice had a hitch that she sincerely wished hadn't been there. Clark was in complete shock, and didn't move from his spot.

"Lois, I-"

"No, Clark, just go. Don't-"

"Lois, I like you too." Clark interrupted.

"-try and make me feel better WHAT?"

"For a long time, actually. I just didn't know how to tell you."

"Well it couldn't have been any worse than my incoherent babbling!" Lois laughed.

"I happen to like your babbling. . ." Clark commented.

"Wow. Oh my god." Lois was practically speechless. "So, now what? I mean, where do we go from here?" Lois asked

"Well, there's always dinner and a movie?"

"OK. But tomorrow. I'm still trying to process this, actually."

Clark walked out of the room with a mile wide grin. He felt like he was on top of the world. But little did he know that bad news was, quite literally, right around the corner.

* * *

**REVIEW!**


	15. Rush

**Good news, inspiration has struck! So, I proudly present to you my blood, sweat, and tears. Or at least a case of eye strain runs to get glasses there. Anyways, chapter 14!**

**Thanks, Emily. Ahh, the bashing. So fun, and yet, so hard to come by! **

Warning: Randomosity may ensue. But the cool kind. Go entropy! (give me a break, i just took chem)  
Warning 2: Go team Chlark! Chlarkiness may ensue.

* * *

**Chapter 14: Rush**

Chloe drove to the Talon as quickly as she could, running red lights and exceeding the speed limit by several miles per hour, but focused on one thing and one thing alone- getting to Clark. If Lex knew his secret, then he could expose him to the world. He could do anything. . .none of which she wanted to think about at the moment. She just needed to get to Clark, fast.

When she pulled up to the Talon, she spotted Clark, looking as happy as if he had just won the lottery. She hated to be the bearer of bad news, but she needed to tell him about the danger he was in.

"Clark!" she pulled up next to where he was standing. "Clark, get in here, I need to talk to you," Chloe shouted from the car.

"Chloe! You will not believe the day I've had!" Clark said, still glowing from his meeting with Lois. "I went to see Lois after she ran out of the house, and she said that she liked me! And then I told her that I did too, and-"

"CLARK! Get in the car, NOW!" Chloe shouted, wanting nothing more than to whack him over the head.

"Jeez, Chlo, what's wrong?" Clark asked, noticing that Chloe was extremely on edge. She sped off once Clark was in the car, trying to find the right words for her message.

"Look, Clark, this is gonna seem really, really freaky to you, but I have to tell you right now, because something's happened. And it's big."

"Chloe, what's going on?" Clark asked, beginning to be frightened by Chloe's anxious tone. They were driving even faster now.

"Ok, the past few days I've been digging into the Lionel Luthor case," Chloe began, flooring the accelerator.

"Don't you realize how dangerous that was? You could have been killed!" Clark shouted. "You were shot, Chloe, and not too long ago! I thought you'd dropped the case. . ."

"Yeah, I know, Clark, and I'm really sorry I didn't tell you. But I didn't drop it, and I don't regret it. Especially after I found out. . ." They were speeding on the highway, now, the sun setting directly ahead of them, and the town of Smallville falling behind.

Chloe paused, took a deep breath, and continued. "Remember that security camera in the room where I was shot? With high definition video of you using your powers? I had to find that footage, Clark. And I did."

"So, what's the problem?" Clark asked.

"The problem is that the video was sent straight to Lex's computer." Chloe finished. "I tried to delete it, but it's been weeks, and the chances are that Lex now knows your secret."

* * *

Lex sat in front of his television in wonder. He replayed the footage over and over again, and one word came to mind every time. _Spectacular. _He sat with his nose against the screen, a bottle of scotch in his left hand, and the remote in his right. Two days he had sat in that room, the reality of the situation sinking in a little more with every second. Finally, he could stand his exhaustion no more, and shut off the tape. He sunk back in his chair, and he slept. 

Lex had changed since he found the tape. It was possible that sleep deprivation had played with his head, but his mental state had reached a critical point. Lex was never a saint, but as he slept, he dreamed of slaughtering his foes, his friends, everyone he came into contact with. And he considered this a very pleasant reverie. Only when Clark would appear in his subconscious would he be startled. He saw him as a blur, speeding around him and laughing like a madman.

Such visions would begin to haunt him when he was awake. A blur would rush past him, and his heart would race, thinking that Clark had come to finish him off. He'd grab a poker, a book, anything in sight, and begin swinging at the open air imagining that with every swing he was slicing Clark in half.

The idea of murder no longer phased Lex, as well. The boy who used to spare bugs the deadly swat with his hand had grown into a man who lived in blood. At first, this scared Lex. After his father's murder, he spent many nights awake in bed seeing visions of his father, the bullet hole still burning in his chest. But now, he found a certain satisfaction in killing. The power to take life away was the greatest gift of all. He smiled as he dreamed of death, and secretly desired to hold a human heart, still warm and beating, in the palm of his hand.

The thought that he was losing his mind never occurred to Lex. They say that insanity is only obvious to an observer, not the person losing their mind. They also say that the difference between insanity and eccentricity is monthly income. Either way, Lex felt saner than ever. He felt as though he was tapping into something that he'd never felt before, something strong and powerful, something divine in nature, surely.

Suddenly, a smile curled on Lex's lips, and his eyes flew open.

He knew exactly what he had to do.

* * *

Clark stared in shock. He couldn't seem to speak, or move, he just sat and stared into the sun, praying that this was all a bad dream. . . _Just a horrible dream. Any second now, my mom will call me downstairs for breakfast, and I'll be safe in my bed, and none of this will be real. . .. _Clark closed his eyes. _Any second now. . ._

Clark opened his eyes, but found himself still sitting on the seat of the car, with Chloe, next to him, biting her lip in concern.

"What do I do, Chloe?" was all Clark could manage to utter.

"I don't know, Clark. I don't know."

Chloe was dying inside. She needed to get away, from Lionel's ghost, from Lex's threats, from everything.

"Let's take a drive," she said.

And the car journeyed into the sunset.


	16. Drive

Thanks to my reviewers! I'm back! BEHOLD! a filler. But a Chlarky filler. With Chlark. (CrazyDenae: Happy?LMAO0

The next 2 chapters after this? Fun stuff. . .consider this your last dose of calm. . .Bad things are going down. Mwhahaha.

* * *

**Chapter 15: Drive**

Chloe had been driving all evening. She had no idea where she was going. All she knew was that she needed an escape, and she needed it now. There was so much on her shoulders, and she had the staggering feeling that if she didn't take a break, she would lose all control.

Clark sat quietly next to Chloe, staring at his dim reflection in the side window. His thoughts were on Lex, and Lex alone. If any doubt had been in his mind about Lex's intentions, it was eradicated as soon as the fateful words left Chloe's lips. _Lex knows your secret...he knows everything...how could I have been stupid enough to trust him?_

His gaze turned to Chloe's image in the window. Her reflection was barely visible, but Clark found himself captivated by the woman next to him. She was in modest sweats and jeans, a hint of shimmer in her diamond stud earrings, and a visible black line down her cheek. She had been crying before, but brushed away Clark's attempts at comfort. She was incredibly stubborn, and Clark new better than to pester her further. If Chloe wanted comfort, she made it clear. She needed to get over this on her own.

They had been driving so long that the highway they'd been traveling had evolved into a small one-lane road. Once past the outskirts of Metropolis, the Kansas countryside consumed the car in it's vast fields and open expanses. Night had fallen, and the dashboard clock read 9:57 PM. Chloe decided that she was satisfied with the distance she'd covered, and swerved into an open feild. She stopped on the grass, and jumped out of the car.

"Where are we?" Clark asked, his first words since he entered the car. Chloe did not answer; she staggered across the field, incredibly fatigued, and crashed on the grass.She remained still for a few seconds...not a very long time, but enough to send Clark running to her side. Expecting a train wreck, he breathed a sigh of relief when she flashed him a radiant smile, a miracle that he hadn't seen from her in a while. She layed on her back, patting the grass next to her head, motioning Clark to sit beside her. He took the hint, and crashed on the ground, as though he were making a snow angel.

For a few precious moments, they lay undisturbed in the grass, gazing at the stars above their heads. Out of habit, Clark's eyes drifted to the empty expanse between two unusually bright stars, where he used to dream Krypton had resided. A wave of sorrow washed over him, which he attempted to brush away by gazing at the other constellations. He refused to let anything ruin this moment for him. He wanted only happiness now, because he realized that, come morning, reality would give him a swift kick in the butt, as the problems of everyday life- or, at least, _his_ everyday life, would resume.

Chloe also soaked up the remaining moments of normalcy that she was allowed on this starry night. She had been soaked up this murder mystery for months now, and, while it captivated her, it also made her tired and weary. She woke up, and the first thing on her mind was the case, and the same thoughts lulled her to sleep every night.

But tonight, she decided, she wanted the one thing that had eluded her for months. She wanted to put her worries behind her, and have a normal, loft-inspired conversation with Clark. And she wanted it now.

"What were you saying in the car about you and Lois?" she said, breaking the silence between them. Clark turned over to face her, staring into her eyes for a few seconds. Then his face burst into a big, goofy, farmboy grin. He was all alone with Chloe, their only source of light a waning moon that seemed to pop out from the sky and brush their faces with it's pearly glow. He was completely at ease. Turning back to the sky, he began to speak in a soft voice, almost at a whisper.

"I asked her out. When I arrived at the Talon, she was in the upstairs apartment. She looked more beautiful that ever, even without makeup and everything. I think she'd been crying. She started telling me about how she had liked me for a while, but was kind of freaking out about it. It made my job a lot easier. I told her that I liked her too."

Chloe smiled. "So I'm guessing she said yes?"

"Yeah. Tomorrow night I'm taking her to dinner and a movie. Speaking of, I may need some help with clothing." Clark replied.

"Obviously. I'll be over tomorrow before you go. If anyone needs wardrobe help, it's you"

"Thanks ... I think" Clark replied, laughing. "Hey, Chloe, can I tell you something?"

"Sure, Clark. Just don't tell me your an alien. Wait a second, I think we've been there already ... De Javu ..." she said sarcastically. "OK, seriously, spit it out."

"I think I may love Lois. Not just _like_. Love."  
"And this is new how?"

"Look, apparently this is old news to everybody _but_ me, but seriously...In that room, I think I fell in love with her. Not a love like I had with Lana. . .but a completely unconditional love. I've never felt this way before, Chloe."

Chloe didn't respond right away, as Clark's words sank in. "Wow, Clark. Love is a very strong word. Are you sure?"

"Yes. I'm still nervous and confused as hell, but isn't that what love is about? Not knowing? Not being sure of anything except that you want to spend every waking moment with that person?"

"Tell me about it. . ." Chloe said, half heartedly.

Clark sensed a hint of sadness in Chloe's voice. He knew that Chloe had liked him for a long time, and wanted to make sure that she was alright. "Chloe, are you OK with this? I mean, you were the one who told me to tell her everything."

Chloe sighed. "Look, Clark, I'd be lying through my teeth if I told you that I didn't still have feelings for you. But it's not the kind of love that relationships are built on. In a way it's pretty selfish of me ... to want you all to myself, and I realize that it wouldn't be healthy for either of us. You're like my brother, Clark, and I will always love you ... but I just want you to be happy. Just, don't forget about me ..."

"What would make you think I'd forget you?"

"I don't know," she hesitated. "Like, when you were in your Lana-lusting days, I took a backseat for a while. Actually, it was more like I was stuffed in the trunk. I don't want to lose you Clark."

Chloe had obviously been feeling this way for a long time, but it just registered to Clark that, for too long, he had taken her for granted. He loved Chloe, and felt horrible that he'd neglected her. "Chloe, you're never gonna lose me. I may start dating Lois, but you will always be my best friend. I will _always_ be there for you," he said. "Whether you like it or not."

Clark brought Chloe into a strong hug, a hug that she had desperately needed, and a hug that she had missed for so long. She was still doubtful, given her natural cynicism, that Clark would be able to keep his promise forever. But tonight, for that glorious moment, she was in the safe, warm embrace of the most amazing man she met. She gazed at the sky, and, for a fleeting moment, saw a solitary star shooting across space.


	17. Date Night!

I realize that I've sort of let this fic go to hell update-wise lately, and for that I apologize. But it's not as bad as my 3 month absence, right? Anyway, here's a superlong, super chock-full-of-clois update..

ENJOY!

* * *

**Chapter 16: Date Night!**

Clark was the first one up in the desolate Kansas field.

The sun was high in the sky, and the cold wind brushed past his face and swept his hair into a knotted mess. Chloe lay beside him, curled in a fetal position on the grass, trying to warm herself up. She was fast asleep, her face crinkled and tucked inside her chest. Clark turned onto his back, and admired the beautiful day that was unfolding before him. The sky was filled with puffy, white clouds--the kinds you can spot shapes with. Clark tried to do this, temporarily reverting back to the simpler days of childhood, spoting an elephant and an angel in the process. The angel reminded him of Lois. It's beauty, it's elegance, it screamed of Lois at her finest.

_Lois..._

Then it hit Clark. _Our date..._ He looked at his watch. _Oh crap..._

"CHLOE! Wake up! We gotta go!"

Chloe sprang awake. Her heart was racing. "Clark what's wrong?" She asked. She immediately assumed the worst--that Lex and his cronies had found them. But she looked around, and only saw miles and miles of Kansas farmland, not another soul in sight.

"It's 4 o'clock in the afternoon! I have to get back to Smallville!" Clark shouted. He sprinted to the car, tugging on the door handle to get it to open. "Chloe! Where are the keys? Oh my god, what if I left them in the car! How am I gonna get back! Chloe, we gotta break in. I'll---"

Chloe rubbed the sleep from her eyes, and drowsily watched Clark battling her red VW bug. She began laughing hysterically, considering that the Bug seemed to be winning. But, seeing the dent slowly forming where he pounded the door, she collected herself, dug into her pockets, and pulled out her set of keys. "Cla-ark!" she said, teasing.

Clark sped over to her and grabbed the keys. "Is it really 4o'clock? Jeez, I haven't slept that well in a long time." Chloe said. "By the way, you realize that you could have just _run_ home, if worse came to worse."

Clark blushed red, feeling more than foolish. He turned around to face Chloe's car, which, even though he had only hit it at half-strength, had a serious dent in the driver's door.

"Uh...I'll pay for that Chloe. I guess I got a little carried away..." He apologized.

"Just get in the car."

* * *

Lois was the first one up in the Kent house.

It had been a long time since she had seen sunrise. Sure, growing up with the General had conditioned her to be up with the sun, but since she'd been living with the Kent's, it was as though her body was catching up on years of lost sleep. It was not unusual for her to sleep until noon. Lois had been sleeping on the couch since Chloe had started staying with the Kents, and, even though the sofa was smaller than the beds she was used to, it was actually pretty comfortable. _I don't understand what Smallville was complaining about all these years...all you need are a few pillows and this thing makes a great bed... _

Smallville...

Then it hit Lois. _Our date..._ She looked at her watch. _Oh crap..._

"Fourteen more hours!" Lois cried. "That long?" She sprang out of bed, threw on some jeans, and ran into the kitchen. She was still in a bit of a daze, considering she'd only been awake for a minute. "Ok," she said aloud. "I'll just have to occupy myself until tonight." She said with a smile. She stood for a few seconds, frozen, the smile plastered on her face in an attempt to force herself to be patient. It soon faded, however, and Lois groaned.

"I need coffee..."

* * *

Chloe drove back as quickly as she could. Clark was doing his best to be polite and not rush her, but inside he was screaming in impatience and anticipation. He was mostly quite, but every once in a while he would mutter something under his breath, like 'I hope we make it,' or 'Don't worry, Chloe, I'm sure you'll get me there in time.' Chloe was fuming in the drivers seat, praying for the moment to get when she could dump Clark with Lois. 

"Hey Chloe, can you believe the traffic today?"

"CLARK!" She shouted. She was completely agitated with Clark. "I'm on the freakin highway, there are only 3 other cars on the road, I'm already going 20 over the speed limit, and NOBODY LIKES A BACKSEAT DRIVER!"

"You're right, I'm sorry" Clark apologized. "Uh...but could we maybe try and pass that guy in front of us? He's not moving at all and--"

Clark didn't get a chance to finish his sentence, startled by Chloe abrubt right turn onto the highway's shoulder. She bolted out of the car, opened Clark's door, and pulled him out by his collar. "You think you can do a better job? YOU DRIVE!" She yelled. Clark eagerly took the wheel, while Chloe attempted to calm herself down.

Clark sped back onto the highway, dodging cars left and right and clenching his fists on the wheel in urgency. Chloe's hands instinctively grabbed the side of her seat. She was petrified because, while she knew that Clark would save her if they crashed, her car might not fare as well. It was already busted up as it was, and Chloe was far too broke to fund another one.

Miraculously, they made it to the outskirts of Metropolis in 20 minutes flat. Even more miraculously, the car hadn't suffered any damage at all.

Clark's pace slowed as the traffic began to bunch up.

"Hey Clark, get out here. I want to take you into Metropolis for a while." Chloe said.

"But Chloe...I have to get back home to pick up Lois!" Clark answered. "And the traffic's bad enough as it is--"

"Clark," Chloe began. "What are you gonna wear tonight?"

Clark stammered. "I have...uh..."

Chloe smiled. "And where are you taking her?"

"Well I..." Clark hadn't thought about that. He'd been too worked up over Lex discovering his secret to even think about what he was actually going to _do_ on his date.

"My point exactly. You need my help. And, lucky for you, I am willing and able to give it to you!"

Without hesitation, Clark turned the car towards Metropolis.

* * *

Lois was in a frenzy

_When is he picking me up?...Is he even picking me up? He's not home, he didn't call me at all last night, or today either...The only thing he said was that we were going out to dinner! That could mean anything! Is it a fancy dinner? Pizza and ice cream? ...Of course CALLING ME was too much of a hassle...Oh, no, Smallville couldn't be bothered enough to call me!...What if last night was a dream? What if he doesn't want to go out with me at all? Snap out of it, of course wants to... But what am I gonna do? _

What do I wear?

Lois was pacing around the living room, the flurry of questions buzzing in her head, when she accidently bumped into Mrs. Kent, who had apparently just woken up, knocking her to the floor. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry Mrs. Kent. Here, let me help you!"

"No it's ok, Lois, I got it. You seem hyper this morning...what's the matter?" Martha asked, standing back up and rubbing her eyes.

"Oh it's nothing. I just have a date today and I'm kind of freaking out."

"A date, huh? Who's the lucky man?" Martha asked. Lois quickly remembered that neither she or Clark had remembered to tell Martha about their new relationship status.

"Well, uh...actually, it's Clark!" Lois announced. Martha's eyes lit up and she broke into a gigantic smile.

"Honey that's great! Oh my gosh, I'm so happy for you two! When did this happen?"

"Yesterday, actually. It was really sudden. I'm just worried because Clark hasn't called me all day or given me any details about the date. He didn't come home last night, either." Lois pointed out. "Come to think of it, Chloe didn't come home either..."

Martha was worried now. Chloe had told her that Lex knew Clark's secret--that was the last time she'd seen Chloe. She'd gone to find Clark, if Martha remembered correctly. Martha ran to the phone, and hastily dialed Clark's cell.

"Who are you calling?" Lois asked. She wasn't too worried about Clark's disapearance aside from the fact that it might interfere with their date, but Martha seemed hysterical.

"DAMN IT, CLARK!" Martha shouted. Lois was shocked at Martha's choice of language. She slammed the phone on the reciever.

"His phone is off!"

* * *

Not soon after Chloe and Clark had entered Metropolis, they were walking into the Metropolis Mall, Chloe leading the way towards Metropolis' higher end shops, hoping to find Clark something more suiteable for his date than his usual plaid. Clark looked around like a scared puppy dog. 

"You've never really done this before, have you?" Chloe asked, seeing his face.

"I have, but I'm a little scared about having _you_ dress me," Clark replied.

"It'll be an improvement from whatever you'd chose...just work with me here, ok?"

So they walked around for a half hour or so, scanning assorted boutiques and shops for the perfect date outfit, when Chloe's phone started ringing. "It's Lois," she said, as she picked up the phone

"Hello?"

"Chloe, where the hell have you been? Is Clark there?" It was Lois.

"Yeah, he's right--"

"I'M GONNA KILL YOU BOTH! WHERE THE HELL DID YOU TWO GO! MRS. KENT AND I WERE WORRIED SICK, AND WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO CALL YOU ALL DAY!"

"Oh...I'm sorry we scared you Lois. We kind of overslept--"

"I think you should rephrase that, Chlo, or I'm gonna start assuming things that better have not happened!" Lois shouted. She was clearly angry. Clark was now looking at Chloe in confusion, fighting back the urge to eavesdrop on the conversation with his superhearing. He mouthed to Chloe "What happened?" but she waved him off.

"Lo, me and Clark crashed at my dorm last night. He was helping me with some handywork that my roommate had called me complaining about. It was so late when we finished that we figured we should spend the night, considering that my roommate was gone and all."

Chloe heard Lois sigh. "Ok. I guess I'm just a little jittery. Can I talk to Clark? ...Wait, hold on a sec."

Lois started speaking to someone in the background. "Yeah he's there. Oh. OK. Hey, Chloe, ya there?"

"Yep. What's up?"

"Tell Clark to turn on his phone. His mom wants to talk to him."

Chloe turned to Clark. "Clark, turn your phone on. Your mom's calling." Clark reached into his pocket, and the phone glowed to life. Almost simultaneously, he recieved an incoming call from his house phone.

"Mom? What's up?"

"How DARE you scare me like that! How the heck was I supposed to know where you were! And after Chloe told me everything that had happened! You could have been killed, and I wouldn't have even KNOWN!" She shouted at him. He had to move the phone away from his ear, because she was screaming so loud. People walking by stared at him, clearly hearing everything in the conversation.

"Mom, I'm sorry. I didn't realize that my phone was off, and I overslept. I was out with Chloe, I really needed to clear my head after what happened...So I guess you know about Lex?"

"Yes, Clark, I know. I don't know what to do about it, either. I can't believe this happened..." Martha trailed off.

"I really don't want to talk about this right now, mom. Could we save this for later? Please?" Clark begged. He didn't want to think about what happened right now.

Martha sighed. "Ok...Let's talk about something else. Like your date with Lois?"

"I'm guessing she told you, huh?" Clark replied.

"Definately. She could barely contain herself! Where are you gonna take her?"

"Uh, I kind of need some help with that." Clark said "Is she nearby? I don't want her to overhear anything."

"No, she's outside on her cell. She won't hear. So tell me what you were thinking of."

"Maybe a dinner in the loft? I don't know about taking her to a restaurant, because it just doesn't feel right for us. I wanted something more personal, where we could be alone...does that seem stupid?" Clark said. When his mother didn't respond, he was afraid that his idea was a bust.

"No, Clark, not at all." She eventually replied. "That sounds perfect. I'm proud of you, son. You've come a long way." Martha was beginning to tear up on the other line. Clark was ecstatic--his idea was playing out perfectly. All was as it should be.

"Could you do me a favor, though? I need to keep her out of the house so I can set up. Can you maybe take her shopping or something?"

"Clark, I'm sorry, but I really can't. I have to run into Metropolis today on errands, and I can't take her with me. Maybe Chloe will do it?"

Clark looked over to face his blond friend, who rolled her eyes as she listened to Lois' babbling on the other line. "Chloe, could you do me a favor?"

"Sure, Clark," she replied. Through her phone, he could hear Lois say "Clark's there? Tell him that I gotta talk to him, because I--"

Chloe cut her off by putting her hand over the phone. "I need you to get Lois out of the house for a few hours. I know what I'm doing for our date," he whispered. Chloe nodded in approval, and began telling Lois how she was going to take her shopping this afternoon. Clark hung up with his mom, and Chloe with Lois.

"OK. I gotta go pick up Lois. You'll be ok here on your own?" Chloe asked. Clark nodded an answer, and Chloe ran off. "Tell her to dress up!" Clark shouted after her, Chloe giving him a quick thumbs up.

Clark was now completely alone in the monstrous shopping mall. "Great," he sighed. "Now how the heck am I gonna get something to wear?"

* * *

_2 hours later_

Clark was finished decorating every last inch of the loft. He was exhausted, wondering to himself how women seemed to be able to do things like this on a daily basis. Stepping back to admire his work, he let out a sigh of relief. _Sure, it might be a little overkill,_ he thought, _but I think it looks pretty nice!_

Every inch of the loft was covered in red. Red candles, red tablecloths, even red curtains lining the loft window. The room was dimly lit, with only a few candles and the natural sunset gleaming through the window, flooding the room with a soft orange glow. Clark smiled, mentally patting himself on the back for a job well done. He was glad he had chosen the red fabric at the mall--it was Lois' favorite color, after all. He looked at his watch, and realized that he had a little over a half hour to fix himself up. So, 10 minutes, the world's quickest shower and a wardrobe change later, he was looking sharp.

At the mall, he had been lucky enough to run into an enthusiastic store clerk, who could barely keep her hands off him as he forced him into outfit after outfit. She was naturally discouraged when he informed her that he was going on a date, but helped him pick out a outfit to impress Lois anyway. His shirt was a white, fitted, button down dress shirt, with a soft blue embellishment on the cuffs. He knew that Lois would probably make fun of the "girly" design, but he thought it made him look fashionable. His pants were regular black, with polished black dress shoes finishing off the look. Clark couldn't help but smile--he looked better than he'd ever looked in his life, aside from his run-ins with red-K.

Finally, the downstairs entrance flew open, signaling the arrival of his date for the evening. He sprinted down the stairs, but was stopped dead in his tracks when he was met with a glowing Lois Lane standing in the doorway.

She smiled when she saw him, but still tried to conceal her shock at his new apparel. _Holy crap...he's freakin hot!_

Clark smiled as well, and tried as hard as he could not to drool when he saw Lois. _Holy crap...she's gorgeous!_

"Uh, hi, Smallville." Lois said. She was nervous as hell, which in itself scared her a little bit, but sensed that Clark was just as nervous. Clark didn't answer her welcome--he couldn't stop looking at her. Her dress was bright white--a bold choice, in his opinion, with thin straps that popped against her golden skin. Her loose hair curled softly as it fell on her shoulders, and her makeup was subtle enough to let her natural beauty shine through. It was hard for Clark not to just go up and kiss her right now, but he promised himself that he would wait until after dinner, at least, for such a move. The last thing he wanted to do tonight was make her uncomfortable.

"Uh, where exactly are you taking me? I'm, uh, ready to go!" Lois said awkwardly. It was weird having Clark stare at her so much, and it had been at least a minute since anyone last spoke.

"What? Oh! Oh yeah, I need you to close your eyes!" Clark said, snapping out of his daydream and remembering that Lois was waiting for him.

"Ok..." Lois said, shutting her eyes tight. Clark took her hands, and slowly led her up the stairs. She stumbled a few times on the way up, but thankfully, they both made it to the upper floor in one piece.

"Ok, open your eyes!" Clark said. He was more exited than he'd ever been before.

Lois opened them. _Oh my god...it looks like...a harem,_ she thought. _Everything's so red..._ But seeing Clark's beaming face, waiting for her to comment, reminded her of how hard he must have worked on all this--and, if you did ignore the amount of red, it did look quite nice. So she smiled at him and playfully patted him on the back. "You've done good, Smallvile. It's beautiful." Clark smiled even wider.

"Sit down, Lois. I made us dinner." Clark announced. He had a full meal waiting downstairs, and was anxious to get it on the table.

"_You cooked?_ I didn't even know you could cook!" Lois exclaimed, secretly hoping that Clark's cooking skills were better than his decorating skills.

And they were. Clark brought out course after course of his homemade cooking. It was nothing fancy, but it was delicious. The first course was a small salad, with some sweet bread on the side. Next came the entree--He'd cooked filet mignon (_What is it with men and steak?_ thought Lois,) with mashed potatoes and assorted grilled vegetables. To top it all off, he served apple pie with vanilla ice cream--his mom's special recipe. Lois proceeded to scarf down every last bit of food on the table, all the while chatting away with Clark about life, the weather, whatever came to mind.

Clark was ecstatic that everything had gone so well. With Lana, his dates had always been almost uncomfortable, as though was trying to impress her so much that he lost the true meaning of why he was even there. But with Lois, aside from his freak-out earlier in the day, he was suprisingly calm. He simply _talked_ to her--he didn't need to put up a false front or try to impress her. Conversation flowed naturally from one thing to the other, and nothing about it seemed forced. For once in his life, Clark felt as if he could show who he really was.

Lois patted her stomach in delight. "I couldn't eat another bite. This was great, Smallvile. Thank you." She said. Her face was practically sore from smiling, but she hadn't had such a good time in a while. "If we get married, I'm gonna make you cook every--" she stopped. _Did I really say that?_ Clark fortunately seemed not to notice, or if he did, he didn't show it. Lois was thankful that he'd decided to spare her a verbal beating.

"You know, I'm not finished yet," Clark said. He did have one more trick up his sleeve.

"Clark, no offense, but I don't think I could eat any more if I tried. Save it for leftovers."

"No, seriously! There's something else I want to show you!" he said. He knew that it would be a perfect conclusion to the perfect evening.

"Does it involve being blindfolded again?" Lois joked.

"No. Just follow me, ok?"

So Clark led Lois downstairs and out of the loft before he stopped, facing Lois toward the outside of the barn. "Stay right there," he ordered as he dissapeared back into the barn

"Uh, Clark? I've seen your barn thousands of times already..." She commented, her arms folded across her chest. She had no idea what Clark was up to.

Clark returned a few seconds later, carrying a ladder. He positioned it against the house. "Climb up."

"What is this, some kind of joke?"

But Clark was already halfway up the ladder, beckoning her to follow. "How am I supposed to climb this thing! I'm in heels!" She shouted after him.

"Take them off!" he shouted back. Seeing that she had no other choice, she kicked off her shoes and followed Clark up the ladder. She felt quite awkward climbing up in her short dress and bare feet, but forced herself to continue, eventually reaching the roof of the barn.

Clark took her hand and supported her as they climbed up the roof to the very top. Lois was skeptical, but once she reached their destination, she knew why Clark had brought her there.

Unfolding before them was the most beautiful sunset she had ever seen. The sky glowed magnificent shades of pink, gold, and purple, with a blood-red sun descending over the horizon. The clouds floated in assorted shades of pastels in the cold winter evening. The sky looked like it was a watercolor painting. Lois was completely engrossed in the beautiful sight before her.

"I used to come up here sometimes. You know, to think. We're completely alone up here, and that's what makes it so special. It's one small thing in my life that I feel like I don't have to share with anybody." Clark whispered.

"But you're sharing it with me?" Lois asked. This was apparently a huge deal for Clark, which made it seem all the more amazing to her. That Clark had chosen_ her_.

Clark didn't answer her, but rather pulled her into a close embrace. They were so close that, for a brief and shining moment, their lips touched. The kiss was soft and quick, but filled with a passion that expressed itself in the full, unconditional love between these two individuals...even though they had yet to fully admit it to each other.

And there on the roof they remained, wrapped in each other's embrace, not wanting to move, even when the sky faded to black.


	18. Gone

A short update!  
YAY!

Thanks for all the reviews, guys!

Enjoy!

**Chapter 17: Gone**

Chloe had never been more thankful than the moment she reached her car, after having dropped off Lois at the Kents. Chloe planned to stay at her dorm for the night, figuring that, not only did she need to get used to living on her own again, but she didn't want to interrupt Clark and Lois' date on the off chance that they were doing something X-rated. Chloe had spent the remainder of her day with Lois, who was nothing short of frantic about her date with Clark. They had visited store after store and finally, 3 iced coffees and a tantrum later, Lois had the perfect ensemble and was ready to go. But while Chloe was happy for Lois and Clark, she still wished that they would be a little more self-sufficient. Today they had acted like 6 year olds with her, complaining and feaking out over their clothing, hair, everything.  
Chloe was like their mother, and wanted nothing more than to send the kids away to camp and get some alone time.

Alone time. That was something Chloe hadn't had in a while. Everything with Lionel's murder, getting shot, dealing with a lovesick farmboy--she couldn't remember the last time she'd sat down and read a book or watched a movie. She planned on crashing on her bed, watching a few hours of trash tv, giving herself a pedicure and sleeping till noon the next day. She smiled at the thought. _Finally...I can just relax...no work for me tonight_

Chloe was speeding along the dark and desolate Metropolis streets, when she noticed that the blue van behind her had been on her tail since she'd left Smallville. She pushed this to the back of her mind, figuring that it was just a coincidence. After all, he could just be an innocent guy on his way home from work. But, to be on the safe side, she drove around the block twice--If the driver was innocent, he would go on his own way rather than follow her unusual path. If the driver was a stalker, he would be sure to follow her around the circle, even if she did loop it twice.

And he did.

Chloe panicked. She floored the gas, but the van was still close behind. Reaching for her cell phone, she quickly dialed 911. "Hello, operator? Some guy's following me. He's in an old blue van. Licence plate number? Ok it's KWY--"

The phone went dead. Chloe stared at the screen's message: "Low battery. Phone is shutting off." She pressed the power button frantically, but with no luck. She had no choice but to drive faster. But before she could even look, the van cut her off. Chloe's car careened into a lampost, deploying the airbags and shaking her up quite a bit.

The door of her car flew open, and Chloe looked up and gasped. A man whose face was hidden behind a black ski mask was pointing a fully loaded gun at Chloe's head. He was at point blank range, and any shot he fired was likely to blow Chloe's head clean off her neck

"Get out of the car."

Chloe reached for her keys, fingering them over looking for the panic button. The assailant saw her, and slammed the pistol over her head with full force.

And after that, Chloe's world went black.

When Lois awoke, it was still dark. She didn't know what time it was, or how long she had been asleep. Come to think of it, she didn't even remember _going_ to sleep. _Wait a sec...this isn't my bedroom!_ Lois gasped. She also realized that she was clothed in a fresh nightgown, one that she didn't remember putting on, or even _owning_ for that matter.

The bedroom was coming into sight now as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, and her surroundings became increasingly familiar, yet she still couldn't put her finger on her exact location. But one glimpse at the plaid shirt hanging on the doorknob told her all that she needed to know.

Lois bolted downstairs. "CLARK! YOU HAVE SOME SERIOUS EXPLAINING TO DO!"

Clark peeked at her from the kitchen. "I was just making breakfast! What, did I leave the toilet seat up or something?" He said, smiling at his joke. But his comment only made Lois steam more, her face turning a bright red, and Clark's smile quickly faded. "Lois, what's wrong?"

"Why the hell did I wake up in your bed? What the hell did you do to me last night! I swear, if Clark Jr. so much as left your pants last night, I'll cut it off!" She shouted.

"You fell asleep on the roof. I carried you down and put you in my bed. I slept on the couch. Nothing happened, I swear!" Clark said defensively.

Lois backed off. "OK. Maybe I overreacted a little bit..." Clark cocked his eyebrow at her. "OK, alot. Sorry, Smallville. But can I ask you another question?"

"Sure."

"I was in my dress when I fell asleep last night, right?"

Clark stammered. He knew what Lois was getting at. "Yeah..."

"Then how did I get into a nightgown?" Lois said, her voice as serious as she could make it, but her face beaming.

Now it was Clark's turn to flush red. "I...well, I kind of...you see there was--"

Clark was saved by the ring of the phone. "I'll get it!" he said, a bit too excited, which Lois picked up on and laughed at.

"Hello?"

"Clark, did Chloe come home last night?" It was Martha. She sounded out of breath, as though she'd just run a marathon, automatically alerting Clark that something was up.

"No, she didn't. Why, what's the matter?"

"They found Chloe's car abandoned in Metropolis. It had crashed into a lampost, but she wasn't in the car when they found it. There was blood, Clark. A lot of it in the car, and a trail leading outside into the street. They checked all the hospitals, her dorm, everything. There's no sign of her anywhere."

Clark's mind went completely blank. He didn't see Lois wave her hand in front of his frozen face, nor did he hear her ask him about what had happened. Clark dropped the phone, smashing it into pieces against the hardwood.

"Clark, what's wrong?" Lois asked, but there was no response. Clark just put his face into his hands and staggered backwards. "Clark! What happened?"

"Chloe's gone."


End file.
